Shloka 12
Vīrabhadra Destroys Dakṣa’s Sacrifice
Dakṣa-yajña-vināśa
बह्वेवमुद्विग्नदृशोच्यमाने जनेन दक्षस्य मुहुर्महात्मन: । उत्पेतुरुत्पाततमा: सहस्रशो भयावहा दिवि भूमौ च पर्यक् ॥ १२ ॥
bahv evam udvigna-dṛśocyamāne janena dakṣasya muhur mahātmanaḥ utpetur utpātatamāḥ sahasraśo bhayāvahā divi bhūmau ca paryak
Mientras la gente hablaba entre sí con mirada inquieta, Dakṣa vio surgir por doquier, en el cielo y en la tierra, miles de presagios funestos y aterradores.
In this verse Dakṣa has been described as mahātmā. The word mahātmā has been commented upon by different commentators in various manners. Vīrarāghava Ācārya has indicated that this word mahātmā means “steady in heart.” That is to say that Dakṣa was so stronghearted that even when his beloved daughter was prepared to lay down her life, he was steady and unshaken. But in spite of his being so stronghearted, he was perturbed when he saw the various disturbances created by the gigantic black demon. Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura remarks in this connection that even if one is called mahātmā, a great soul, unless he exhibits the symptoms of a mahātmā, he should be considered a durātmā, or a degraded soul. In Bhagavad-gītā (9.13) the word mahātmā describes the pure devotee of the Lord: mahātmānas tu māṁ pārtha daivīṁ prakṛtim āśritāḥ. A mahātmā is always under the guidance of the internal energy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and thus how could such a misbehaved person as Dakṣa be a mahātmā ? A mahātmā is supposed to have all the good qualities of the demigods, and thus Dakṣa, lacking those qualities, could not be called a mahātmā; he should instead be called durātmā, a degraded soul. The word mahātmā to describe the qualifications of Dakṣa is used sarcastically.
FAQs
This verse describes thousands of fearful omens appearing in sky and earth as Dakṣa is stirred by the assembly—signaling that pride, conflict, and adharmic speech invite inauspiciousness and impending disturbance in sacred proceedings.
In the narrative, tension and offense are escalating around Dakṣa; the eruption of omens functions as a cosmic warning that the sacrificial arena is becoming contaminated by hostility and disrespect, foreshadowing calamity.
When ego, insult, and group agitation increase, the environment turns “inauspicious” through conflict and anxiety; the practical takeaway is to correct pride and harsh speech early, restoring humility and dharmic conduct before situations spiral.